If needed, you can cut the plastic, and only the plastic, with a utility knife or scissors. By ultra careful to only staple the plastic part. Otherwise, use a hand stapler to tack the mat in place. Some mats have double-sided tape so you can stick the mat to the floor. Place the mat so the cable connection is near the wall where the thermostat will be located. Once the cement board is installed, cover the seams with mesh cement board tape, then spread thin-set mortar over the top with a wide putty knife or flat trowel. Keep the cement board 1/4-inch from walls. Screw it down with 1-1/4-inch cement board screws, which are corrosion resistant and have heads that sit flush with the cement board surface.
Place the cement board in the mortar with the rough side up. Trowel on the mortar with a 1/4-inch notched trowel. Adhere the backer board to the subfloor with thin-set mortar. This movement in the plywood can cause the grout to crack.
ELECTRIC RADIANT FLOOR HEATING HOW TO
(This article explains how to cut it.) Cement board is a better choice than plywood because the latter can expand and contract as the in-floor heat is turned on and off.
ELECTRIC RADIANT FLOOR HEATING INSTALL
Install cement backer board over the subfloor, just like you'd do for a regular tile job. When the cables are turned on, they work like an electric blanket to warm up the floor. The systems typically consist of thin heating cables integrated into a plastic mat, which is installed between the subfloor and the floor covering. These are easier to install than water systems and less expensive, costing about $70 for a 3 ft. The drawback to this system is you need a boiler or water heater capable of providing enough hot water.Īnother option is a radiant heat system, which uses electricity. You can install the plastic tubing to the underside of the floor.
This can be used when installing new floors, and it's also an option when the floor covering is already installed but you have access to the underside of the subfloor. Some use hot water that runs through flexible tubing. Good thinking installing that in-floor heating system.Ī variety of in-floor heating systems are available. But you're not greeted by a frigid floor-instead, soothing heat seeps up from beneath you. It's a cold winter's morning as your creep into the bathroom.